in the mines of moria
by Lomeril
Summary: the fellowship has to fight the orcs in Moria and Legolas gets hurt
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the characters, places etc. They all belong to Tolkien.

The thunderous drums died down and were replaces by a loud shriek, a sound Legolas knew only too well.

"Orcs!", he spat, turning to Aragorn beside him and throwing him a meaningful glance.

Immediately, the fellowship sprang into action. Aragorn urged the hobbits behind Gandalf, who stood at the back of the chamber, while Boromir hurried to the door and peered into the great hall. The blonde Gondorian barely managed to pull his head back to escape two long black arrows, which bore themselves in the wooden door instead.

"They have a cave troll!" he announced, slightly shaken.

Legolas collected some of the dead dwarves' axes from the floor and tossed them to Aragorn, who used the weapons to bar the door.

"Prepare for battle!"

It was not a request, it was an order. Now the dark-haired human was every inch the future king of Gondor, ready to do everything necessary to win this fight, to get the fellowship to safety. Legolas smiled when even the Hobbits drew their swords in an instant. He locked his eyes with those of his best friend, and all he could see there was confidence.

"We will get through this," Aragorn seemed to tell him without words, and he smiled. Yes, they would make it. For the sake of Middle-Earth, they _had_ to make it!

The door shook by the violent jolts from the outside while they placed themselves for the coming fight. Legolas stood in the front line between Aragorn and Boromir, bow drawn and ready to let the arrow go. Gimli had climbed the tomb of Balin with his axe ready, while Gandalf and the hobbits stayed further behind.

The first cracks appeared in the wood, and the shrieks of the orcs grew louder. Legolas aimed carefully for one of the gaps and fired, killing the orc behind. In a movement quicker than an eye could follow he had the next arrow notched, but before he could release it the door crashed down and the enemies came swarming into the chamber, swords lifted and eager to kill.

The elf and Aragorn shot arrows in rapid succession, bringing many of the orcs down, but even more of them followed and soon metal clashed against metal as the real battle begun.

Legolas danced expertly out of reach of the orcs, still using his bow to kill them and watch the backs of his friends. The hobbits fought bravely with their short swords, and they did better than anyone of the others would have expected. Gandalf used his sword and his staff in turn to get rid of his attackers.

Suddenly, the ground shook with heavy footsteps, and the doorway seemed to explode. Boulders flew around and drew everyone's attention to the entrance where even more orcs appeared dragging a huge creature by a chain attached to its neck with them. Roaring, the troll brandished an equally gigantic hammer and sent a new shower of dust and stones over the frozen fellowship by hitting the stone wall of the chamber.

Legolas quickly stepped in front of the raging creature and fired an arrow at it. He hit the trolls shoulder, but didn't receive the reaction he had hoped for. The troll only howled in anger and pain, grabbed the arrow shaft and yanked it free from his own flesh. Then it wielded its weapon again, attacking even more fiercly. The orcs followed its example, convinced that they would be able to kill their prey without effort now that their frightening reinforcement had arrived.

But the fellowship wouldn't surrender that easily. They concentrated on the battle with the orcs, only keeping an eye on the troll to avoid its attacks, which was difficult enough. It didn't take long before the troll spotted a prey that was occupied with two enemies at once – Gimli, still standing on the tomb and swinging his axe. The dwarf didn't realise the troll had its attention on him until it was nearly to late. He hardly managed to jump away when the hammer crashed down and shattered the slab he was standing on only seconds before. The jump made him lose his balance and he tumbled to the floor. Another orc took the opportunity to attack Gimli, but he was hurled away when the hammer connected with his body. The dwarf only stared at the troll, helpless when it raised its weapon again to finish him off.

Legolas noticed the predicament his dwarven friend was in just in the moment the troll swiped the orc away. He was standing on the ledge that was surrounding the room, holding his bow in one hand and wielding one of his twin knifes in the other. The orcs came from both sides, but he still managed to parry their blows. When he saw the troll raising its hammer to kill Gimli, Legolas knew he had to act very quickly. Without thinking further he reached for his quiver, pulled two arrows out, notched them to his bow, aimed and fired in one fluent movement. He knew he had saved the dwarf when the missiles hit the troll right in the chest and sent it stumbling backwards, howling in pain and forgetting about the easy prey it was about to kill one moment ago.

Gimli didn't need to look who had saved his life, for he saw the two elven arrows embedded deeply in his opponent's body. He smiled and groaned at the same time. Legolas would definitely _not_ let go about that! A dwarf who needed to be saved, and by an elf of all people! But now was not the time to think about that, first he had to help the others getting rid off the orcs still swarming around. Perhaps he would get the opportunity to return the favor before the battle was over and get equal.

As soon as he was sure Gimli was safe for the moment, Legolas turned to face his own attackers again. The next moment, he felt a burning pain in his right side. He looked down in confusion and saw a black arrow embedded in his own body, blood already soaking his tunic. He cursed and pressed his hand to his side, trying to staunch the heavy bleeding, but there was another orc running towards him and he had to parry the sword that came crashing down, trying to behead him. The pain grew excruciating, but he held on.

From the corner of his eye Legolas saw a movement, and he ducked just in time to escape the heavy iron chain the troll was swinging at him. The orc he had fought wasn't so lucky and tumbled down from the ledge with his torso ripped open. The second stroke followed immediately, hitting the wall behind the elf and sending a shower of stones on his head. One of them hit him hard on the head, and he felt warm blood run down his temple. Before Legolas could even think of something to do, the troll sent the chain again, this time downwards. He jumped to the side, the sudden movement sending a new wave of sheer agony through his body. Dark spots began to dance before his eyes, and he felt very dizzy.

'Stay awake', he desperately told himself.

The troll sensed the weakness of his prey, and he moved the chain to kill, but it hit stone pillar instead and winded itself around. Despite his weakened condition, Legolas saw his chance and locked the end of the chain with his foot. Then he stepped on the chain and ran over it toward the troll, stepping on its shoulders and firing an arrow right to its head. But the missile bounced off the hard shell, and the creature went beserk. Legolas knew better than to try again and jumped down to the floor, stumbling back to get out of his enemy's reach. He crashed in the chamber wall hard and couldn't hold back a pained scream when the arrow in his side was pressed deeper in his body. The elf gritted his teeth, grabbed it and broke the shaft off to get it out of the way.

Legolas barely managed to fight the orcs who chose to attack him. He didn't even notice when the troll grabbed Frodo and the Hobbit screamed Aragorn's name for help. It was hard for him to stay conscious, so he only became aware of the desperate situation of his friends when Sam frantically called Frodos name. He snapped out of his half-conscious state then, to see Aragorn lying motionless against the wall with the Ringbearer to his feet, while Gimli and Gandalf took turns to attack the troll and get its attention away from the two helpless companions. A cold shudder ran down Legolas' back as he stumbled towards his best friend. He felt guilty for forgetting about the others and not looking after them.

'Don't be dead! Please, don't be dead!' he thought desperately, hoping for Aragorn to make at least a little move to prove he was alive.

When he was only a few steps away from the ranger, he saw the movement of his chest as he draw breath. A wave of relief washed over him, and he turned his attention toward the troll. Only then he noticed that Merry and Pippin had jumped on its back and beat it with their bare fists.

Legolas stopped right in front of the troll, notching an arrow to his bow and waiting. The moment the monster lifted its head and opened its mouth in a loud roar, he let go. The arrow hit the troll's throat through the open mouth and pierced its brain. The creature swayed on its feet, then fell forward, already dead before it hit the floor.

For a moment, they just stood and stared at the creature in disbelief. Legolas was the first to move, turning to Aragorn and stumbling toward the still unconscious man, ignoring the pain in his side and a new wave of dizziness. He dropped to his knees next to his friend and looked him over for any visible injuries. There was a bleeding gash at the back of his head, where he obviously had hit the wall, but apart from that he seemed to be unharmed. Legolas shook his shoulder lightly to wake him up.

"Estel! Come on, open your eyes. You must wake now!"

Aragorn responded with a groan, and his eyelids fluttered open. He stared at the blonde elf hovering above him, pain and confusion evident in his eyes. Legolas smiled in relief.

"Hey, there. You're alright? How do you feel?"

"My head… hurts." Aragorn winced when he tried to sit up, and the elf hurried to help him. "But I'm okay. What about the others? Frodo?"

Legolas turned to look at the hobbit. He sat on the floor, with Gandalf and Sam at his side, and was obviously unharmed.

"They are fine. Frodo isn't hurt," Legolas told Aragorn.

The man gave a small sigh.

"I feared the worst. The troll was after him. I tried to protect him…"

"You did well," Legolas interrupted. "He owes you his life."

The truth was, the elf didn't even know what had happened while he had been at the edge of unconsciousness fighting the orcs, but he had to calm Aragorn down. His friend looked quite upset, and they had to compose themselves quickly. The danger wasn't over.

"And what about you?" Aragorn narrowed his eyes and looked his elven friend over, taking in the paleness of his face and the thin film of perspiration on his forehead as well as the trail of blood that ran down his cheek. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Legolas insisted, despite the fact that he didn't feel fine at all. He felt terrible. There seemed to be some trolls right in his head that were busy lashing out, and his side was on fire. It was hard not to give in to the darkness that tried to catch him.

Aragorn, however, wasn't fooled. "No you're not _fine_. Do you think I'm blind?"

In the darkness and with all the dirt he hadn't noticed the blood stained tunic of the elf yet, but he could see clearly that something was wrong. Legolas looked as if he was about to faint.

Before Legolas could answer, there was another shriek. More orcs! They came from another passage the opposite direction from the hall. And it sounded like a great number of them. The fellowship didn't stand a chance to defend itself again.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" Gandalf shouted.

Aragorn jumped up, ignoring the pain in his head, and it was Legolas who swayed on his feet when he rose from his knees. The human quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Mellon nin?" His worry grew with every moment. He knew the elf was hurt, but it seemed to be much worse than he thought.

Legolas gave him a weak smile, trying to reassure him. He didn't succeed for the ranger only felt confirmed that he was near collapse. But there was no time to do anything, and they had to hurry after their companions out of the chamber and through the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Their flight was futile. This realization grew in them when they hurried through the hall in a desperate attempt to reach safety. The orcs came from everywhere now, climbing out of the clefts in the floor and down the huge pillars which held the ceiling. They had crossed only half of the cave when they were finally surrounded.

They formed a circle, weapons drawn, ready to fight back and kill as many enemies as possible although they couldn't win. Legolas held his bow ready with the arrow pointing at the crowd of orcs, but couldn't stifle the shaking of his hands. The run had taken nearly all his remaining strength, and he began to feel more dizzy and lightheaded because of the blood loss. The cave suddenly seemed to grow colder, and dark spots began to dance before his eyes.

Aragorn held his sword in both hands, a fierce expression on his face. He stood close to the elf, feeling the shudders that ran through his friend's body. He was deeply worried about Legolas' condition, but knew at the same time it wouldn't matter any longer. In less than two minutes, they would all be dead. He wondered if this would be the end of Middle-Earth, if the orcs would realise what they had gotten hold of. He threw Legolas a short glance, catching the elf's deep blue eyes with his own grey ones. No words were needed between them.

The next second, the orcs began to screech nervously, turning around and staring at the other end of the hall. The fellowship seemed forgotten when the dark creatures scattered and fled in panic, pushing each other to get away. Gimli shouted in triumph, obviously convinced that they had scared the enemies away, but Legolas knew he was wrong. They had been an easy prey. Turning to Aragorn, he saw the same confusion and disbelief in the Ranger's eyes he felt himself. Nobody lowered the weapons, they all stood petrified.

Then there was a new sound, a deep growl that came from the end of the cave. They watched as a flaming glow appeared through a large archway, brighter with every second. The ground shook.

"What's this new devilry?" Boromir whispered, unsure how to handle the situation.

Gandalf stood motionless, concentrating in the direction of the apparition. He closed his eyes, taking in everything his senses could register. After a few moments he gave a sigh. It sounded almost defeated.

"A Balrog," he said quietly. "A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you."

Legolas felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. A Balrog! They were lost. He looked at the others, and became aware of the fact that, besides Gandalf, he was the only one who really knew what that meant. They looked all frightened, but not as frightened as they should have been

'Valar, help us!' he thought. 'I can't protect them against this. Gandalf can't protect them. No one can!'

A new wave of weakness overcame him, and Gandalf's voice ordering them to run seemed far away to his foggy mind. Only when Aragorn grabbed his arm and urged him to move, he noticed they had to flee once more. He stumbled forward, following the lead of the wizard. Several times he nearly fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the pain, but the human put an arm around his waist and dragged him on. Legolas couldn't hold back a soft moan when his friend touched his injured side. Aragorn immediately pulled his hand back. They reached an archway, that lead to another enourmous cave. The bridge was already in sight, but to get there they had to cross a narrow stone stair that lead over a chasm so deep they couldn't make out the bottom, and the stair stood completely free without a railing or something to hold on.

The fellowship hesitated for a moment, but Gandalf urged them further.

"Lead them on, Aragorn!" he shouted, pushing the ranger toward the stair.

Legolas wriggled himself out of the human's grip. He felt a little less dizzy for the moment, and there was no time for delay.

"I'll be right behind you," he declared, looking his friend straight in the eye. His look told Aragorn even more, without words.

'Think of the others. Think of our mission. We have no time to tend to injuries. You can't help me here, the hobbits would only be more scared.'

Aragorn nodded reluctantly, he knew Legolas was right. They had to get out of the mines, and quick. He turned and started to descend the steps, leading the others over the chasm. Gandalf made the rearguard, repeatedly glancing behind.

Then there was a gap in the stair. It was quite wide. The group came to a stop, hesitating again. The hobbits were near panic now.

They couldn't stay and Legolas decided to make the first step. Before Aragorn could hold him back, he jumped and landed on the other side. The pain that run through his body when he hit the ground again was almost unbearable, and a short moment he was sure he would lose consciousness. A soft whimper escaped his lips, and he stood unmoving, waiting for the dazed feeling to pass.

When he felt a little less dizzy again, he turned and waited for the others to follow. The jump wasn't easy, but the men could make it. They just had to help the hobbits and the dwarf.

When they still hesitated, Legolas called urgently for the Gandalf. The wizard looked at him, then flexed his muscles and followed the elf's example. He did it without problems, and afterwards turned also around to help.

Suddenly, there was a whizzing in the air and an arrow hit the steps. An orc was standing on a ledge high above them, and he was soon copied by others. Legolas quickly took his bow and shot them down, ignoring the added pain.

Boromir was the next, grabbing Merry and Pippin and taking them with him. Aragorn tossed Sam over the gap, right in Gandalf's arms. But when the ranger turned to Gimli, the dwarf refused.

"No one tosses a dwarf!" he exclaimed, and the next moment he jumped. He only just reached the other side, and was about to fall when Legolas hastily grabbed the first part of his body he could reach.

"Not the beard!" Gimli complained, but knew at the same time the elf had saved his life again.

Legolas somehow found the strength to drag the dwarf completely on the steps despite his body's protests and then looked at Aragorn and Frodo, the only ones remaining. And what he saw made him gasp.

After Gimli's jump, another part of the stair had broken down, and the gap was now even wider than before. It was impossible for a human to jump over it anymore. The ranger was trapped. They stood there, without an idea what to do.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called desperately. He couldn't lose his friend. Not after all they had been through.

The ground began to shake as the horrible foe came nearer. They still couldn't see it, but the glow that shone through the archway they had passed only minutes before. Huge boulders began to come down from the ceiling, and one of them hit the stairs behind Aragorn and Frodo, tearing it down. The part they stood on swayed from one side to the other, about to plunge in the depth.

"Lean forward!" Aragorn told Frodo, and directed by their weight, the steps turned forward in the direction where the others watched anxiously, hardly daring to move. Finally, they crashed right into the rest of the stair. Legolas and Gandalf grabbed their arms and pulled them on the solid ground, not a second before the steps finally fell to the side and disappeared in the dark.

"Move on!" Gandalf shouted after a moment of drawing deep breaths.

They hurriedly made their way down the rest of the stair, and reached the bottom without further incident. They were close to the bridge now, and a new glimmer of hope arose. They could make it in time, if not…

"Over the bridge! Fly!" The wizard's voice pushed them to higher speed, and he hadn't even finished his shout when suddenly the cave behind them seemed to be on fire. Hot flames flared up around a gigantic black body, and the ground shook as if an earthquake had begun. The foe was there.

They ran. There was no hesitation before the narrow bridge, everything that mattered now was to get away from the demon, out of the mines. And they were so close to safety.

Legolas thought he would break down. He stumbled blindly forward, hardly aware of his surroundings. He didn't notice he came dangerously near the edge of the bridge, only one step away from falling into the deep abyss. Finally, he reached the other side and ran right into Aragorn, who had turned and looked wide-eyed at the bridge. Legolas followed his gaze.

Gandalf had stopped in the middle of the crossing, facing the demon, with his staff and sword raised. The balrog approached him slowly, ready to attack.

"You cannot pass!" the wizard's voice echoed through the cave.

The monster growled as an answer.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor."

The balrog roared and the next moment held a sword in its claw. The weapon was burning, flames shot from the blade.

"The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!" Gandalf brought his own sword up, and the demon hit it with a powerful strike. When the weapons connected, the wizard was suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light. The flaming sword shattered to pieces.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf stood his ground firmly, never faltering.

The balrog roared again and stepped forward onto the bridge. Now it wielded a whip of fire. The fellowship gasped in shock at the horrible sight. Frodo cried out Gandalf's name, but Boromir held him back when he tried to run towards the fight.

Legolas made a move forward too, when Aragorn grabbed his arm.

"Have to help him," Legolas murmured in protest, his voice sounding slightly slurred.

"You can't help him. Stay!" Aragorn hissed, still holding the elf by the arm.

They watched Gandalf holding sword and staff high in front of himself.

"You shall not pass!" he shouted, striking his staff onto the bridge.

Once more the white light flashed up, and the balrog hesitated a short moment. Then he made a lunge at Gandalf, but the bridge broke at the point where the staff had hit it, and the demon plunged backward into the chasm. The wizard stood motionless for a second, then he turned and started to make his way to the others.

"Look out!" Legolas shouted, sensing the danger Gandalf was in.

Somehow he found the strength to break away from Aragorn, but it was already to late. In its fall, the balrog swung the flaming whip, which wound itself around the wizard's ankle, dragging him over the edge. He barely managed to grip the brink, but wasn't able to get a safe hold. He looked up, seeing Legolas stumbling toward him and Frodo trying to break free from Boromir. Aragorn started to follow the elf after a moment of surprise. The others were petrified on the spot.

"Fly, you fools!" With these last words, Gandalf's hands slipped and he fell, vanishing in the darkness.

"Nooo! Gandalf!"

Legolas heard the scream, but he couldn't recognize the voice. His mind was empty. He didn't even notice he had fallen to his knees, staring at the point the wizard had been on only a second before. There were more sounds, agitated cries and the whizzing of arrows, but he paid them no heed. Gandalf was gone.

The extent of his injury hit him now with full force. The dizziness was worse than ever, his side on fire and he didn't have the strength to move. He was suddenly very cold, violent shivers ran through his body and gave him even more pain.

Then the elf felt a strong grip at his shoulder and finally heard Aragorn shout at him. He let himself be dragged to his feet by the ranger and tried to follow him, but his legs gave way under him and he would have fallen if not for is friend.

Aragorn placed Legolas' own arm over his shoulder and grabbed him around the waist. Then he hurried after the rest of the fellowship who were already on their way to the exit of the mines, which was only a few hundred meters in front of them. The elf was barely conscious now, and the human was dragging him along more than helping him to run on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I took so long, I'm very busy at the moment and to be honest, I didn't know how I wanted this story to continue. I'll try to make it quicker from now on.

Within minutes, they reached the daylight. Two days they had craved for this moment of leaving the eternal darkness behind. But now the time had come, they couldn't enjoy it.

The hobbits dropped to the ground, crying. Gimli tried to run back into the mines to get revenge for their leader's death, yelling at Boromir who held him back and refused to let go.

Aragorn was the last to reach the rocks outside. He immediately lowered Legolas to the ground, still not knowing what exact injuries his friend suffered from, but he knew they must be very serious. The ranger gasped in shock when he got the first look on the blood stained tunic, the arrow still stuck in the flesh.

Careful not to cause additional pain, Aragorn removed the leather straps that held quiver and knives on Legolas' back. The elf was far too pale and lay with his eyes closed, but they snapped open when the human began his work to get the weapons away.

"We made it, didn't we?" His voice was only a whisper.

"Yes, we're outside," Aragorn hurried to assure him. "Don't worry, all will be well."

"Gandalf?"

The elf seemed to weaken with every moment, and the ranger was near panic when he closed his eyes again.

"No, Legolas! Stay awake!" he cried, gently shaking his shoulder. "Stay with me!"

Legolas opened his eyes with difficulty and gave his friend a weak smile.

"I'll try," he whispered.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fellowship had realised what was going on and gathered around their fallen comrade. The hobbits were horrified by the large amount of blood that covered the elf's body, whereas Gimli and Boromir stared at the scene disbelievingly.

Aragorn lifted his head. "Boromir, I need fresh water. Gimli, get a fire going. And I need blankets. Quick!"

In an instant the others moved to do what he told them. Merry and Pippin came back with the blankets less than a minute later. Aragorn took one of them and spread it next to Legolas, then lifted him carefully and placed him on it. Despite his gentle treatment, the elf couldn't hold back a soft cry of pain which made the hobbits flinch. Never had they heard such a sound from the proud woodland warrior. Another blanket was placed over his legs up to his waist to give a little warmth.

Aragorn took a dagger and cut the tunic around the arrow away. Then he rummaged through his pack until he found some bandages and the healing herbs he always took with him. Athelas, but also painkillers and remedies for fever and infection. He crushed some of the herbs in a small pot, all the time speaking to Legolas who gave only soft moans as an answer, and by the time he had produced a paste Boromir had arrived with the water. The ranger adviced him to boil it over the already burning fire, and then put some athelas in it after handing him one cup of pure water. This he mixed with painkillers.

"Legolas?"

The elf moaned again.

"Please, I want you to drink this."

Legolas opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at the human.

"One of your awful potions… again?" he murmured. "What is it this time?"

Aragorn gave a little laugh. "It will take some of the pain away. No sleeping herbs, I promise you."

In fact, he wanted to put his friend to sleep very badly, but knew he couldn't risk it in his weakened state. The arrow had to come out, and he'd rather had Legolas unconscious for the pain would be unbearable despite the painkillers.

The ranger carefully lifted the elf's head a little and held the mug to his lips. Legolas drank without resistance and then laid his head back with the human's guidance.

Aragorn motioned for Boromir and Gimli to come to his side.

"I have to remove the arrow," he told them quietly. He knew the act would cause a lot of pain despite the potion.

Legolas didn't have the strength to open his eyes again, let alone answer. His silence worried the ranger even more.

"Hold him down," he adviced the others after placing the athelas-water, bandages and the paste of herbs within his reach.

Boromir took hold of the elf's upper body and arms, while Gimli laid over his legs. Aragorn grabbed the arrow, took a deep breath and yanked it out with one forceful movement.

It was hard for them to hold Legolas down, for he thrashed around screaming in intense agony. But by the time his friend pressed a piece of cloth down on the wound to staunch the bleeding, his desperate movements had died down. He gave only soft whimpers now, hardly aware of the soothing voices that tried to reach his mind.

When Aragorn bathed the wound in the athelas-water, he struggled anew, but far weaker than before. Suddenly, he went completely limp, his head lolling to one side.

"Legolas!" The ranger hurried to check the elf's breathing, relieved to find it, irregular and shallow, but at least there.

He quickly continued with cleaning the injury, then applied the paste and bandaged it. After that, he treated his friend's head wound, which was not too nasty, but he feared a concussion.

"Will he… live?" Pippin asked anxiously.

Aragorn was slow to answer. He studied the elf, taking in his pale features, the closed eyes and his laboured breathing. Would he live? He didn't know, the blood loss had been dangerously high and there was still the possibility of complications, like infection. He looked up at the faces of the surrounding companions, who all waited for him to speak.

"I don't know," he finally said softly. "I hope and pray he does."

They were all shocked. The hobbits began to cry silently. Gimli lowered his head and closed his eyes. They had just lost one of them, the uncertainty about the fate of a second was too much to bear.

Aragorn sighed, trying to think. They couldn't just sit here and wait for Legolas to die or the orcs to come with the nightfall and kill them all.

"We have to find shelter for the night. A cave or something. It'll be cold, and it might still snow."

Boromir nodded to him. "I'll find something. Pippin, Merry, come and help me. The others stay here."

They found a cave only about five hundred meters away. Aragorn carefully slid one arm under the upper body and the other under the knees of the still unconscious woodelf and carried him over to the hiding place. At least they would be protected against bad weather.

Gimli lighted a small fire to make it warm and a little more comfortable. Aragorn had laid Legolas down on a blanket in the back of the cave and covered him with more. Then he sat down beside him, watching him closely to notice even the tiniest change in his condition. But the elf didn't stir or give only a moan.

Gimli and Boromir took turns in taking the watch, and the others settled down as close to the fire as possible. Soon, the hobbits were fast asleep, utterly exhausted from the events of the day.

Aragorn tried to stay awake, but he was very tired, too, and his head pounded worse than ever. Slowly he drifted off into a light slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, firstly, I'm not happy with this one. It doesn't come out as I wanted it to. It's really, really short, too, I know, but if I had waited any longer, I probably wouldn't have continued this at all. Perhaps I'll change some things later if I get better ideas. And have more time (preliminary medical examination is waiting, and I'm already in panic). And it took already really long to continue this, I didn't want to leave those wo still follow this story waiting any longer (if anyone is still reading this at all).

Secondly, PLEASE correct me if I make mistakes in grammar or in choice of words. I learned English in school, but that's not really helpful for trying to write a story (we rather learned how to interpret poems).

Thirdly, if anyone has good ideas how this could continue, feel free to tell me. I'd be glad about any suggestion.

And fourthly, thanks to those wo reviewed this story. Without you, I would have given up long ago.

He woke less than two hours later. At first, he was confused and couldn't make out what had happened. Then it all came back, and he quickly turned toward Legolas to check his condition. He was deeply frightened when he found the elf moving restlessly, giving soft moans and whimpers of obvious pain. His forehead was covered with sweat and hot to the touch.

"Legolas?" the ranger asked anxiously, but his friend wasn't responsive and didn't give any reaction at all.

Aragorn quickly unwrapped the bandages to check the arrow wound. It didn't seem to be infected. But why was the elf suddenly running such a high fever?

Then another thought stuck him. Poison. He cursed inwardly. It had been an orcish arrow, he should have considered this possibility much earlier! There were herbs in his pack to delay the effects of most of the poisons known on middle-earth, but they couldn't break the symptoms when they had shown already.

Aragorn looked around. Gimli wasn't there, so it was his turn to take watch. Boromir was lying close to the cave entrance, sleeping. The ranger hurried to wake him.

"I need more water. As much as possible."

The Gondorian just stared at him confused for a moment.

"Hurry!"

The sound of Aragorn's voice told Boromir that this was indeed important, and without a question he rose and vanished outside.

No sooner had he gone than Gimli entered the cave, looking extremely worried.

"What's going on?" he asked, stepping beside the human who was busy crushing herbs from his stock of healing supplies.

"The arrow was poisoned. He's running a high fever. I have to get it down and neutralize the poison."

Gimli's sharp intake of breath gave his shock away. He always pretended to be grumpy, but he cared a lot about the rest of the fellowship and especially Legolas and Aragorn, who had become very good friends of his. He didn't know how to handle the situation with the usually proud and strong elf lying shivering and moaning on the ground.

Boromir only needed a few minutes to return with the water. They wet clothes and placed them on Legolas' forehead, chest, arms and legs to bring the fever down. Aragorn carefully lifted his upper body to give him the newly made potion to drink. Then he sat down beside his friend, watching him closely.

"Now we can only wait and hope," he told the others.

Gimli and Boromir exchanged worried glances. They didn't miss the hint of desperation in the ranger's voice.

"I'll take the watch," the Gondorian finally said and left the cave again.

The hobbits were still sleeping, too exhausted to wake despite all the excitement. Aragorn was grateful for that. The little ones needed all rest they could get, and the next day would be strenuous again. They needed to reach Lothlorien as soon as possible, for only there Legolas had a chance to survive.

Aragorn and Gimli spent the rest of the night by Legolas' side, from time to time wetting the clothes and feeding him herbal teas to fight the fever and keep him hydrated. When the new day dawned, they were tired and near despair for the elf's condition only worsened with every passing hour. The ranger was sure that if not for the herbs to keep the poison at bay, he would have already died.

They woke the hobbits before the sun showed itself above the rocky hills. The little ones were deeply shocked when they realized the suffering of their wounded and delirious friend, who was now moaning and thrashing around. After a hurried breakfast, they gathered their supplies and broke the camp. Aragorn carefully lifted Legolas in his arms like he had done the day before, and the others took the packs. Then they began their way towards the woods of Lothlorien.


End file.
